Refrigerator car door and the like



Jan. 23, 1934. E A SWEELEY Er AL 1,944,618

REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR ANDA THE LIKE Filed July 29. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Fle,.I

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Jan. 23, 1934. E. A. swEELEY Er AL 1,944,618

REFRIGERATOR CAR DOOR AND'THE LIKE Filed July 29. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2j? nvVE/vrAo/RSv l the doors, and 3 the threshold for the doors.

Patented Jan. 23, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE REFRIGERATOR CAR DOORAND THE LIKE Edward A. Sweeley, Alexandria, Va., and Norman T. Anderson,Washington, D. C.

`Application July 29, 1932. Serial No. 626,128

Claims.

Our invention relates to refrigerator cars, and more particularly torefrigerator car doors, although susceptible for use in other doors. Ithas among its objects to provide effective, practically air-tightsealing joints to the doors.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear, the invention consists in the features hereinafterparticularly described and then sought to be clearly dened by theclaims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a parthereof, and illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, andin which:

Figure I shows a front elevation of a refrigerator car door, in closedposition, and formed with rounded top corners;

. FigureII is a horizontal cross-section taken about mid-way between thebottom and top of a door proper, showing beveled and offset door postsand stiles, with the door in closed position and with the packingmaterial at the joints omitted, for clearness of illustration;

Figure III is a vertical section through the center line of a door,showing the beveled and offset door header and door top cross rail, withthe door in closed position;

Figure IV is a vertical section through the door top rail and doorheader, showing the beveled and offset portions of the rail and headeron an enlarged scale and provided with padding;

Figure V is an enlarged horizontal section through the door centerstiles, with the beveled and offset portions provided with padding;

Figure VI is an enlarged horizontal section through a side stile of thedoor and a door post, with padding applied.

The door is made in sections, and the letter A indicates one sectionwhich will be referred to vas the male section, and B the companionsection, which will be referred to as the female door or section. Thenumeral 1 indicates the door posts of the two door sections, 2 theheader for The doors are hinged to their respective posts by suitablehinges 4. The female door B has a metal plate 5 applied at its lower endto form a bearing for a stop lip 6 which is pivotally secured to thethreshold 3 so as to be swung upward against the plate 5 when the door Bis closed and functioning in positioning and holding it closed. Thefemale door B is provided near its upper end with a metal lip 7 thatwill lap over onto the door header 2 when the door is closed. The Lipperouter 4corners of the door sections are rounded as at 8 so as to formtight fitting corner joints, the

rounded portions extending from front to rear of the door sections.

As illustrated in Figure II, each door or door section has an outerstile 9; the male door A has an inner stile 10, and the female door Bhas an inner stile 11. The doors including the outer end and innerstiles are covered on the outside by sheathing 12, which may be groovedor corrugated vertically, and covered on the insidel by a boarding orlining 13. Y 65.

The door posts 1 have their faces next toward the door end stiles 9, andthe adjoining end stiles 9 of the door sections next towards the endposts, rabbeted, with the result that the faces of the door poststowards the'end door Stiles are formed with faces 19 and 18 extendingrespectivelyin the direction of the outer and the inner faces of thedoor sections, and connected one to the other by a face 14 extendingsubstantially at right angles to the direction of faces 19 and 18 andinthe direction of the width of the door, and the rabbet of the endstile of the door forming faces 23 and 24, extending towards the outerVand inner faces of the door, respectively, and connected by afaceextending substantially at right angles tothe direction of faces 23 and24, and in the direction of the door width, as illustrated in Figures IIand VI of the drawings. The face 14 of the door posts serves as a seatfor a relatively soft pad 16, of suitable material, (Figure VI) whichextends the full length of the face 14vfrom top to bottom of the postand is secured in place by nails 17. A strip or sheet of canvas 20covers the padding 16 and also faces 18 and 19 of the rabbeted face ofeach end post, from top to bottom of the post, and has its opposite endsfolded and lapped upon itself, as indicated at 22 in Figure VI of thedrawings, so as to provide smooth folded edges to the canvas at theouter and inner faces of the door, as illustrated in Figure VI of thedrawings, the canvas being held in place by nails 21 passing through itand into the post, as indicated in the drawings.

The canvas practically fills the clearance between the opposite disposedfaces Vof the door posts and outer end stiles of the door, and thecanvas plus the padding 16, along the faces 14 and l5 of the door postsand end stiles provide an additional thickness at those points so thatwhen the door is closed, the padding is compressed and a tight jointformed. The surfaces 23 and 24 of the door stiles 9 bear lightly againstthe canvas, covering surfaces 18 and 19 of the door posts 1, and thepoint of greatest compression is between the surfaces or faces 15 of thestiles 9 and surfaces 14 of the door posts, against which the padding 16is seated, and thus a very effective sealing joint is provided betweenthe end stiies of the door and the door posts.

The male door A is provided with a center stile 1G beveled at 25 and 26towards the outer and inner faces of the door, respectively, and joinedat their inner ends by a substantially straight surface or face 27extending in the direction of the width of the door, and substantiallyat right angles to the beveled surfaces 25 and 26. The center stile 11of the section constituting the female door B is beveled at 28 and 29extending in the direction of the outer and inner faces of the door,respectively, and connected at their inner ends by a surface or face 30extending in the direction of the width of the door and substantially atright angles to the beveled faces 28 and 29. The face or surface 30serves as a seat for a padding 3l made of suitable soft material andsecured by nails 32. This padding 31 extends from bottom to top of thedoor. The beveled surfaces 28 and 29, as well as the padding 31, arecovered by a strip or sheet of canvas 33, which extends from top tobottom of the door, and held by nails 34 driven into stile 11. Atopposite ends, the strip or sheet of canvas 33 is folded and lappedinwardly, as indicated at 35, at the front and rear of the door andsecured in place by nails similar to nails 34. The padding 31 on thesurface 30 lies opposite to the surface 27 of the door center stile andwhen the door is closed, the padding 31 is compressed by the surface 27of stile 10 and a tight seal effected. The surfaces 25 and 26 of stile10 contact comparatively lightly against the canvas over the bevels 28and 29 of the female center stile 11 when the male door is closed, whilethe greatest compression will be exerted against L padding 31 oppositeto surface 27 of the male door stile 10, as indicated in Figure V.

i In Figure III of the drawing the threshold 3 of the door is beveled asusual, and there will be used customary weather-stripping at rear of thedoor lining againstthe floor 36 at37, but not illustrated because notclaimed as a part of the invention. The door has a bottom rail 38 toeach door section, and also a top rail 39. In the present instance thetop door rail 39 is formed with a beveled or inclined face or surface 40extending inwardly and downwardly from the front of the rail and at itsrear there is formed a vertical depending wall or face 42 from the lowerend of which there extends inwardly and downwardly, towards the rearface of the door, an inclined or bevel surface or face 41. Over the topstile of the door, extending from front to rear of the door, is placed acovering plate 43, preferably of sheet zinc. At the front of the toprail of the door, the plate is formed with a depending flange 44 whichmay extend outside of the door sheathing 12 and secured by nails, 45.The plate 43 at its rear end is formed with a downwardly extendingflange 46 which enters a correspondingly formed recess or groove in therear lining board 13 of the door and is secured by nails 48. At thepoint where the rear flange 46 of plate 43 enters the groove in thelining board 13 a suitable water-proof cement may be applied to form atight and water-proof joint. The door header 2 (see Figure IV) is formedat its under face with a bevel or rearwardly and downwardly inclinedsurface or face 49, from the rear of which extends downwardly a verticalsurface or face 51 and from the lower end of that surface there is arearwardly and downwardly inclined or bevel surface 50. The verticalsurface 51 is covered with a suitable soft padding 52 secured by nails53 and extending substantially the entire width of the surface againstwhich it is seated.

The bevel surfaces 49 and 50, and also padding 52, are covered or facedwith a canvas sheet or layer 54, the ends of which are folded and lappedas indicated at 55 and 56, and secured by nails 57 driven through thecanvas and into the header 2. At the inner side or face of the doorheader, there is attached in line with the inclined or bevel surface 50,a weatherstripping consisting of a rope 53, or other suitable material,confined in the fold of a piece of canvas 59, and secured to the headerby nails as illustrated in Figure IV, so as to insure an air-tight sealat such point. This is additional to the seal resulting from compressionof pad 52 by pressure of surface 42 of the door top rail 39 and contactof bevel surfaces 4G and 41 of the top door rail 39 against vcanvas 54,which occupies the clearance between the adjacent faces of the door toprail and the door header. We have illustrated and described withparticularity the preferred details of the various parts, but there maybe changes made in the details and essential features be retained.

The disposition of the faces or surfaces of rabbeted portions of thestiles and end posts and of the door top rails and door headercontribute to make most eicient seals at the joints and also promoteease in movement of some parts relatively to other parts with theminimum of friction and wear without detracting from the einciency ofsealing at the points of contact at the joints; and the positioning ofthe cushion pads and degree of compression against them produce maximumsealing effect between the rabbeted faces of the members.

Having described our invention and set forth its merits, what we claimis: Y

1. A door including upright end posts and upright end stiles havingtheir adjacent faces rabbeted to form oppositely disposed off-setportions, spaced one from the other, a cushion pad applied to a face ofone of the off-sets of the door posts 'and extending substantially fromtop to bottom of the door, and canvas extended across the face of saidcushion pad and continued over the outwardly extending faces of therabbeted portions of the posts toward the outer and inner faces of thedoor, said canvas having its opposite ends lapped where it lies betweenthe rabbeted faces of the end posts and door stiles, at.

opposite sides of the door, and presenting outwardly exposed folds ofthe lapped canvas at opposite sides of the door, said canvas beingsecured to the door posts.

2. A door formed of two sections, the sections provided with uprightmeeting stiles, the adjacent faces of the stiles being rabbeted to formoffset portions, each having outwardly extending bevel faces, oneextending in an opposite direction to the other, and connected togetherat their inner ends by a face extending substantially at right angles tothe outwardly extending bevel faces, the rabbeted face of one stilebeing spaced from the rabbeted face of the adjacent stile, a cushion padseated on an intermediate connecting face of one stile and extendingsubstantially from top to bottom of the door, and canvas extended acrossthe face of said cushion pad and continued over the outwardly extendedbevel faces of the rabbeted face of the stile, and secured to the stile,said canvas lin occupying the clearance between the rabbeted faces ofthe adjacent stiles.

3. A door provided with a top cross rail having a top surface for adistance inclined rearwardly and downwardly from the front towards therear of the door and then extended for a distance downwardly towards thebottom of the rail and thence rearwardly and downwardly towards the rearof the door, and a metallic facing applied to the top surface of therail and formed at each end with a downwardly extending ange, the flangeat the rear fitting in a recess formed in an inner lining to the door.

4. A door header having its under face for a distance inclined fromfront towards its rear, thence downwardly towards the bottom of theheader to form a seat for a cushion pad, and thence on a downwardincline towards its rear, a cushion pad applied to said seat, and canvascovering the cushion pad and continued over the inclined surfaces whichextend respectively towards the front and rear of the door, said canvasbeing secured to the header.

5. In a door including a top cross rail and a header; the rail and theheader having their adjacent faces formed each for a distance withrearwardly and downwardly inclined surfaces, thence with a downwardlyextending intermediate surface, and thence with rearwardly anddownwardly inclined surfaces, a cushion pad seated upon the intermediatedownward extended surface of the header, and a canvas covering thecushion pad and continued over both of the downward-rearwardly inclinedsurfaces of the header, said canvas being secured to the header andoccupying a clearance between the adjacent faces of the header and doorcross rail, the canvas being lapped to form a fold at the front of theheader and rail, and a exible strip enclosing a core of suitablematerial and applied to constitute a seal at the joint between theheader vand the cross top rail at one side of the door.

EDWARD A. SWEELEY. NORMAN T. ANDERSON;

